Good Enough
by Tenshi no Nozomi
Summary: Sequel to Tears of Pearls; WK/SM x-over. Usagi left Tokyo six years ago, and now she's returned. (Bad summary... rating may change in the future) ::CHAPTER 4 IS UP!!!!::
1. Chapter 1

Good Enough  
  
Chapter One : Back in town  
  
By Tenshi no Nozomi (tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com)  
  
(Sequel to Tears of Peals)  
  
AN: Okay. the story for this song is by Sarah McLachlan- and it's called 'Good Enough.' I had a few different ideas, and after a while of thought, I decided to change it from one-shot to a chapter fic. ^^ I hope you all enjoy this!  
  
I've even added in a contender into this fic besides Mamoru and Yohji. and it'll be up to you guys who gets her.^^ Cept for Mamoru. That's a no-no. tnn will not do that. Why? Because I hate him. He's only in this cuz I need him to be.  
  
Also. I've never seen WK, so I don't know where everything is set. I'm guessing it was set in Tokyo. If not, oh well, my bad. REPLIES TO THOSE WHO REVIEWED TEARS OF PEARLS ARE AT THE VERY BOTTOM. To let you guys know, I'm looking for a pre-reader/beta-reader. Either tell me in your review, or drop me a line at tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com.  
  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Sailor Moon or Gundam Wing, and I'm not making any profit from writing this. I do not own 'Good Enough' by Sarah McLachlan, either, for the record.  
  
THANKS/DEDICATION: To all of the wonderful, wonderful people who reviewed Tears of Pearls, and to those of you review this one. You guys are the best!  
  
PAIRINGS: Mamoru/Usagi, Yohji/Usagi, ????/Usagi  
  
WARNINGS: love triangle, mostly Usagi centered, some violence/ mild gore, much future angst, explicit language, references to adult situations. that should be about it, unless I think of something else.  
  
:: blah, blah, blah :: - that will mark the song lyrics  
  
---------*  
  
The little boy looked up at his mother, staring at her intently. For such a young child, he was oddly serious looking. His breath taking emerald eyes were somber and intent, his mouth set in a straight line rather than a smile or a silly grin. His hair hung straight and into his eyes, not quite shaggy but messily.  
  
Usagi looked down at him, her blue eyes wide and curious for a moment, before setting her sights back on the road. "What's wrong, Ryu-chan," she asked, sparing her son a few glances as she drove.  
  
He just shook his head slightly in response. "Nothing, okaasan." He looked at her again, his mind stirring to action in him. "Nothing at all."  
  
She looked at him again, her blue eyes filling with sadness. She didn't like seeing her son like this; he was meant to be happy. Somewhere along they way, though, she must have screwed up in raising him.  
  
"Okaasan, watch out!" He cried, and Usagi snapped back to the road. She swerved fast, though not fast enough to avoid knocking over a trashcan. Usagi sighed in relief as her heart beat fast in the aftermath of the adrenaline rush, and her hands clenched the steering wheel tightly.  
  
She laughed nervously, feeling that she'd made a fool of herself in front of her own son. Her silly giggles died in the air, and once more the pain from seven years ago threatened to demolish everything she'd fought to become.  
  
She pulled up in front of the shop, feeling the old torturous anxiety begin to rally against her. She wasn't so much afraid but. well, there really wasn't a word to place the exact way she felt. But she felt exactly the same as she had when she had come here six years ago for the last time and allowed Kudou Yohji to look at his son before she took him with her to Kyoto.  
  
"Are you sure that you want to do this?" She was asking him, but it was meant more for herself. A part of her that was still a child was panicking, pleading and begging that they turn around and leave while they still could.  
  
"Hai."  
  
Usagi closed her eyes, and took a deep, shaky breathe. She was still wounded from their last encounter, the scars numerous and uncountable. What part of me will you destroy this time, Yohji, she asked mentally in misery.  
  
"All right," she said, trying to keep her unhappiness out of her voice. Usagi unbluckled her seat belt, and slowly opened her door. Begrudgingly she hefted her purse over her shoulder, and walked to the sidewalk where her son was already waiting for her.  
  
Usagi couldn't even fake a smile, the memories were so strong. So much pain. I left this place to try and forget, but my wounds have just been waiting for me here, biding their time. I absolutely despise destiny.  
  
Usagi spotted the boy sweeping the entry way and recognized him. The last time she'd seen him he had been shorter, younger, and smaller. She wondered just how much things had changed in her absence.  
  
"Tsukiyono Omi?" She questioned, standing straight as possible. He looked up from his task and Usagi saw that it only took him a few seconds to recognize her.  
  
"Tsukino Usagi! I thought you moved. Are you back in town?"  
  
Usagi smiled; he was just as sweet now as he had been back then. "Just for a little while. Does Kudou-san still work here?"  
  
His eyes widened, and he nodded slowly. "Are you two speaking now? Because I thought."  
  
"Not exactly. But this is important. Would you please go get him for me, if it's not too much trouble?"  
  
"Well, all right, but Ran-san is going to pitch a fit."  
  
"Then he can argue with me about it. Thank you, Omi. You always were such a good boy- I hope Kudou-san doesn't ever rub off on you," she said, punctuating her statement with a pat on his head. Omi blushed in response and ran inside to get Yohji.  
  
"Okaasan, what did you mean by that? That you hope daddy doesn't rub off on him?" Usagi looked down at Ryu, noting the mildly curious look in his eyes.  
  
"It's nothing, Ryu-chan."  
  
"Demo, okasaan."  
  
Usagi ruffled his hair, kneeling in front of him. "You don't need to know, okay? You're too young, still."  
  
"Usagi," came that familiar voice. She turned her head quickly, and saw the person she had anticipated and dreaded seeing. The one and only Kudou Yohji.  
  
---------*  
  
When Omi had come inside like that, he should have known. He should have guessed it was more than some girl from a one-night stand back to plead for another or damn him to hell.  
  
Of course, he hadn't seen her in six years, and it was one of those few moments that he wasn't thinking about her.  
  
He had figured he'd let the lady blow her steam off at him, take a quick cigarette break while he was at it, and then go back to work. If he'd only known, he might have not gone out there. Chances were, though, he would have tackled her if he'd known.  
  
As it was, he got the surprise of his life. There she was, the source of six years of anguish and loneliness, a vision of loveliness in front of his eyes. She was dressed in an incredibly blue blouse that matched the color of her eyes. Her long, lovely legs were accentuated by jeans and her feet were adorned by cute black boots.  
  
Her long hair fell in two plaited braids, but even without her telltale hairstyle, he still recognized her. She didn't wear any makeup on her face, and only the slightest bit of perfume wafted his way. She was elegant in her simplicity, although she would have looked gorgeous to him even if she were wearing a trash bag- with the garbage in it.  
  
The desire to reach out and touch her was horrible. His fingers itched and trembled to touch her lily soft skin again, to delve through her hair and tickle her scalp. He shoved his hands in his pockets, but the need refused to be relieved.  
  
"You don't need to know, okay? You're too young, still," she said gently, ruffling the hair of the little boy in front of her. Oh, how sad, that he was so jealous of a child. But he wanted so desperately to have her look at him that way again, adoring and gentle and oh so loving.. What he would have given.  
  
Perhaps in a desperate plead for attention, he said her name. Surely she wouldn't have come if she didn't want to talk to him.? Besides, he wanted-  
  
His thoughts stopped all together as soon as their eyes met. They were still large and expressive, although some of her childlike innocence had been lost over the years. She had battled with the world, and compromised with reality, destroying some of the dreams she had held close to her heart.  
  
He could see the hurt still left in them from past incidents, the scars left behind from shattered hopes and dreams. He had a good feeling that he was probably one of those scars, and he wished more than anything that he could undo the harm he'd done her.  
  
She stood up, the initial shock from seeing him having worn off. She dusted off her jeans, and straightened herself to her full height. "Hello, Kudou- san," she greeted him, her voice giving away no emotion.  
  
He winced inwardly at her formality. The old Usagi would have at least called him Kudou-kun even if she was pissed at him. It seemed that he might get that now if he was lucky. "It's good to see you again," he attempted again.  
  
She avoided his gaze though, and hung her head low. She was studying the pavement closely, tracing her eyes over the cracks and crevices closely.  
  
It was the little boy who broke the uncomfortable silence. "Okaasan, is he my daddy?"  
  
Yohji looked at them both, taking in the similarities between the two; the straight, golden hair, the small almost girlish build. Yes, this was definitely her child.  
  
"Hai. Kudou Yohji, please say hello to your son, Tsukino Ryu. Ryu. this is your otousan."  
  
Yohji stood there for a long few moments, staring down at his off spring. His eyes were the exact same as his own. In a way it was creepy, but in another.  
  
"Okaasan said you were tall. but you're even taller than I imagined. I want to be as tall as you some day!" Declared the small boy, his boldness shocking his mother, and making his father laugh.  
  
"Well, maybe you will be some day," he said, smiling down at the boy. And in that moment, the small boy shed that look of distance, and smiled back, just as genuinely to him.  
  
-------*  
  
Usagi felt more than a little hurt. It had been years since Ryu had smiled at her that way. Everyone said that he was just at that stage where they don't like lovey mushy stuff, but. Maybe, there was more to it.  
  
Stop being so selfish, instructed that scolding inner voice of hers. You've had him for what, now, six years all to yourself. You never once volunteered to let him meet his father.  
  
It was for the best though, she protested. I don't want him to end up like Yohji, who can't commit to anybody even if he does really love them.  
  
You tried, admitted that voice. But trying isn't always good enough. He probably needs a father in his life anyway, now. He is growing up.  
  
It was true, and it was also something that made Usagi want to cry. He had been her little baby for so long, she didn't want to give up on that. He had been her anchor for the past six years in Kyoto when things had gotten tough. Without him, she probably would have given up- because she had to take care of him, she kept going.  
  
Watching the two of them talking. it made her a little sad. No, more than a little. And afraid, too. Because she had already had to lose Yohji, and now. she might lose her son.  
  
Instead, though, she forced herself to fake her happiness. "Well, you two seem to have hit it off really well! You don't mind if I go and visit some of my old friends, do you? And that way you guys can bond without having a silly girl around," she added with a smile.  
  
Ryu nodded enthusiastically, eyes sparkling with happiness. This was turning out just the way he had always wanted it to, apparently. Yohji, however, seemed hesitant. In fact, his eyes seemed to almost beg her to stay.  
  
Usagi was unable to decide for what reason, though. Either he had thoughts of trying to get on her good side again, or else he was afraid to be with his own son. Well, sad I might be, but I want what's best for my son. And gods damn it all, if having his father around is best, then so it shall be!  
  
Usagi smiled her old oblivious smile, the one she used when she was hurting inside or lying, and said, "Well, I'm off! You guys have a good time, and you behave yourself for him, Ryu! I'll be back in a little while." She waved, and then jumped into the car.  
  
Going down the road, Usagi gave them a guick wave, and then sped off. As soon as she felt safe enough, she let her smile drop.  
  
I hope this is for the best.  
  
----------------*  
  
Yohji watched her speed off, to only God knew where. He knew she would be back, but he had hoped against hope that she wouldn't leave. Oh, he'd missed her so much.  
  
There was something tugging almost violently on his hand, and he looked down at Ryu. "'Tousan, let's go do something, please?"  
  
Yohji smiled. The boy was sweet, even if he was normally quiet. "All right, then, what do you want to do?"  
  
"I wanna go to the park!"  
  
Oh, boy.. This could be a long day.  
  
--------*  
  
Driving down these familiar roads, Usagi was hit with waves of nostalgia. This is home. ran through her head multiple times.  
  
She meandered along the streets, taking her time and taking in all of the things that had changed in her absence. The Crown Arcade had been replaced by some coffee place, and the apartment complex that Naru had undergone serious remodeling, and if it weren't for memory she wouldn't have been able to guess that that was it.  
  
How sad, that these parts of my childhood have disappeared while I was gone. I wonder just how many of us still live here.  
  
She knew that Makoto had gone- she lived in France, now, and was the owner and prime chef at the best Japanese restaurant on the continent. Ami was in germany, doing all kinds of surgery on children, as had been her life-long dream. Minako was a world-renown model, and Mamoru had left long before the rest of them had.  
  
Usagi had been among the last of the friends to depart, taking her year old son with her. However, there was one person of them all that had for certain stayed here in Azuba. That would be Hino Rei, Usagi's best friend.  
  
Even know, Usagi still managed to keep in touch with her friend. Her grandfather had passed away two years ago, and now Rei was the priestess of the temple, and looking for a disciple herself.  
  
Usagi parked at the curb, and walked up to the stairs. Usagi felt a strong sense of déjà vu, and recalled all of those years when she would walk up the very same steps to receive counsel from Luna and Artemis. For a moment, Usagi wished that she could go back and relive those years.  
  
But as much as they were filled with happy times, they were probably the most painful ones in her entire life, both emotionally and physically. Between Mamoru, being a senshi, and Yohji, it had been a roller coaster of emotions for her.  
  
The sound of a broom sweeping up leaves hit her ears, and for a moment Usagi stopped, hit by memories that she could almost taste.  
  
She finished walking up there, and saw Rei. She was still just as pretty as she had been when she was younger, raven hair reflecting colors of the rainbow like a plump crow's feathers. And though her face wasn't towards her, Usagi knew that she'd see blazing amethyst eyes when she turned around, accompanied by a serious, if not sharp, faced Rei.  
  
"We're closed for the night, try again tomorrow," she said, not bothering to look away from her task. Usagi felt like giggling, but held it in.  
  
"You won't even say hello to an old friend," she asked, letting her smile bloom.  
  
The raven haired priestess stiffened and dropped the broom. Usagi winced inwardly at the clatter it made as the crows around the shrine shrieked and flapped about at the sudden noise. Rei whipped around, and her light purple eyes were wide with surprise.  
  
"Usagi!? What. but. your hair."  
  
Usagi giggled. "Is it really that bad? I thought it was kinda cute. Plus, it keeps my hair from getting in the way, and I don't have to chop it all off."  
  
The raven haired girl surrounded her in a huge hug. "Oh, it's so good to see you again," she gushed. "I haven't seen any of you in such a long time. gods, it's been quiet around here." She released her friend, although she was still smiling and her eyes were sparkling wildly.  
  
"Your hair looks cute, although now I'm gonna have to think of a new nickname for you. hmm. Well, later, perhaps. Come inside for a while, and have some tea with me!"  
  
Before Usagi might protest that coffee was better, she was ushered inside. Usagi followed her friend to the kitchen, and watched her put the kettle on the stove.  
  
"To tell you the truth, I'm really glad you decided to drop in, though you should have told me."  
  
"Huh? Why," Usagi asked, truly curious as she leaned against the counter.  
  
"Well." Rei seemed hesitant to say anything, and looked out the window for a while before continuing. "You see, I've been getting some really strange things from the Great Fire."  
  
Usagi stiffened. If Rei was getting visions like that from the Great Fire, then. then, that meant. "Rei-chan. you don't think."  
  
Rei nodded. "I do. I've been thinking about it for a while, too. And. well, I think I'm going to have to call everyone back to Tokyo. Because if my predictions are right. we could be in a lot of trouble."  
  
Rei looked at Usagi, and she could see the worry in her friend's eyes. "Don't worry," Usagi said. We'll deal with it. We always did."  
  
Rei smiled back, a sad, wavering smile. "I hope so, Usa. I just. don't know."  
  
*------------------------------*  
  
Hope that was an okay place to leave off at.It was a fairly long chapter, too. The next chapter will reveal the mystery suitor! Bwahahahaha! ^^ It may have a battle in it, too. All just depends how I feel. ^,^ DO NOT FORGET TO REVIEW- IF I DON'T GET AT LEAST 10 REVIEWS, THEN I WILL NOT UPDATE.  
  
Anyhow, I promised to reply to everyone who reviewed Tears of Pearls. and here they are.  
  
DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!!!!!!  
  
Kasai-chan(CeCe : ^^ I'm glad that you enjoyed!  
  
Aidenn Legacy : lol, that would be a catastrophe if she did. hm. You never know, something like that might happen. ^^ btw, weird is good. Ay, ay, ma'am! ::salute::  
  
SweetKawaiiAngel : Well. I'm a bit insecure. and I don't have a lot of confidence in myself or my skill. ^^;;; That's why. I'm working on that update for TV Troubles, btw. I'm almost finished with it. ^^ Yippee!  
  
Purr : Yeah, Yohji's out of character. to hell with it, being ooc is fun! Hope you're happy that this I am continuing it. even though it might not be exactly the way you imagined it/wanted it to be.  
  
MoonRyoko : Well. happily ever after doesn't always happen, but I'll try to make them happy. That sounds good to you? As for Mamoru, there will be an explanation for what happened between them in here.  
  
Alexz : ^^ Thank you so much!  
  
Anjel : I'm glad you think so. I hope this is satisfactory for you guys.  
  
Yuki : Well, I know this isn't exactly soon, but. it is the future, isn't it? ^^;;  
  
Zackire : Yeah. it was kinda short. but when my one-shots get long, they can get difficult for people to sit there and bother to read. And though the chapters in this aren't probably going to be exactly huge, there should be plenty of them.  
  
Squirrel : ^^ I'm really glad you like it so much, and I hope that this turns out to your satisfaction.  
  
Erin Finnlaith : O.o;; Uhm. I updated, so you can't hunt me down! Kay?  
  
Nikki Smith2000 : Well, their relationship problems were sorted out for a short while, but- Ah, can't give that away just yet! Sorry. ^^;; But anyhow, she probably will find out about him, and vise versa, and have lots and lots more problems. It's almost guaranteed.  
  
Themoonmaiden : Damn Microsoft Word, not letting me keep that uncapped. oh well. ^^ Wai, I'm so happy you thought so highly of it! That means a lot to me. Well, I may show his reaction later on- probably passed out. As for being a one-woman man. well, we'll see.  
  
Deia Lee : ^^ Thank you so much! I know I didn't update quickly, demo. I'm lazy. We're lucky I got it out at all.  
  
Dee-Chan : ^^ You're one of my more lenient readers. Well, they all begged it, so you get more!  
  
Gakkuri Naishinnou : Gah, you have no idea how hard that was to type. I nearly had to copy and paste. Anyhow. :: blushes:: Aww, you're too sweet! I'm glad you like it so much, but surely it's not the best out there, even though I sure as hell love the flattery. :: grins :: But anyhow, I've continued it, though I should have done so sooner. Oh well, it got done. You don't sound like you're on something. I've begged some people to continue their fics, and it makes me swell with pride that you feel this way. see, I'm all bloated now. :: is puffed up like a balloon::  
  
Tenshi Cat : Here it is! Please tell me if you like it or not.  
  
Hanazakari : ^^ Just take the chance, I guarantee it's worth it. To be honest, I had little clue just what the hell I was doing.  
  
Psy : I hope this goes well by you.  
  
Adb : Once again, damn Microsoft Word and its desire to instantly correct incapitalized letters. O.o Stalking her? Good lord, I should hope not. That would freak me out. I'd have to run him over with a bus. It is a bit of an oxymoron. but yes, if you count this finishing it. ^^  
  
Sailor Purgatory : ^^ :: grins :: I just love some of Savage Garden's songs. ::laughs :: Well, I took the hint! I'm glad you liked the plot and my style of writing, and I hope that you'll like this, too.  
  
Sapphireskies : Agh. Microsoft word, how I despise thee. ^^;; Ehh. so more Usa/Yohji, then? Well, I hope you don't mind my bringing in another guy.  
  
SailorCeres : ^^ Yes, he does. even though it doesn't always show/work out the way it should. Well. uhm, he knows now? ^^;;;;;;  
  
Dreama Tsuki : ^^ Glad you liked it! 


	2. Chapter 2

Good Enough  
  
By: Tenshi no Nozomi (tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com)  
  
Chapter Two : Encounters  
  
AN: Fwee! I'm starting this the day after I submitted the first chapter. Well, technically, it's the same day. But I've been feeling alarmingly productive lately, and I'm enjoying this fic.  
  
A lot of you wanted me to pair Usa up with Crawford! O.o;; He wasn't who I had chosen for the suitor, demo.. I will add him in. Yes, that means instead of one new suitor, there's two now. (No, Sailor Star Scream, you may not beat the living daylights out of me! Shame on you. Tsk, tsk.)  
  
Anyhow, I normally wouldn't do this. Or maybe I would, you may have noticed that I'm a bit of a pushover. But I like to make people happy so. I will do my best!  
  
But for those of you who asked that I do this. please, have mercy on my soul if I don't write Crawford in well. I know I'm going to have a tough time, at least at first. So be patient.  
  
As usual, you can find my replies to your reviews at the bottom. ^^  
  
DISCLAIMER: same; don't own Advil.  
  
WARNINGS: same  
  
PAIRINGS: currently same, possible change  
  
----------*  
  
Usagi smiled to herself as she walked back into the flower shop. It had been comforting to see her friend again, even if there had been bad news.  
  
Perhaps coming back here was more than just coincidence. Maybe it was fate, whispered that same mental voice to her.  
  
I swear, I'm talking to myself, I must be going crazy, Usagi thought to herself.  
  
Upon entering the floral shop, Usagi was greeted to the sight of an exhausted looking Yohji and her still ever-ready-to-go son. Ryu was talking a mile a minute, while Yohji looked ready to pass out right then and there.  
  
"Well! Did you guys have fun?" she asked. From the older man came a soft groan, and from the little boy, a rushed description of everything they'd done that day.  
  
Usagi couldn't help but laugh. "Well, I'm glad you had a good time," she said, walking over and sitting down at the counter with them. Yohji groaned again, shifted the position his head was in. He seemed to be looking for a softer or more comfortable part of the counter- and finding nothing..  
  
Usagi felt a surge of pity for him. She could remember the days when she had been drug around constantly like a new toy. Of course, by now her 'newness' had worn off.. and she had begun to miss Ryu's dependence..  
  
"Need some Advil?" Usagi asked, offering two pills to Yohji. She got a groan in reply before he took the pills dry. Usagi chuckled. "Poor Kudou- san." Usagi said, patting him on the back.  
  
----------*  
  
He really wished she'd stop calling him Kudou-san. He wanted Yohji-kun or Yohji-chan, wanted to feel like he was more than just a stranger. There had been a time when he might have had her in his lap about now. Instead, he was lucky that she was offering him Advil.  
  
Yohji accepted the Advil, though he wished that he had water with it. He hated taking pills dry, although he'd never say so out loud. Somehow he had a feeling that complaining might not be the best course of action.  
  
Usagi was saying something, but he wasn't paying attention. He didn't really need to- the sound of her voice was pleasant, and the actual words she might have been saying could have crushed him.  
  
Watching her, his mind reverted back to six years ago. Back to why she'd left, to when she'd left. To the very memory.  
  
:: Flash back ::  
  
They had already been kicked out of the Koneko due to the commotion that they made and the even bigger crowd of girls that a baby attracted. It seemed that if there was one thing women liked more than handsome men, it was babies.  
  
And even though the women weren't bothering any of the shop keepers, they were crowding the shop and making a huge fuss. And Aya had gotten that look in his eyes like he wanted to kill them all before he kicked them out- including Usagi and Yohji, even though it technically was and wasn't their fault.  
  
So there they were, in front of the pond in the park, sitting on a park bench. So far no one had said anything really important, and they were just sitting there. Yohji was fidgeting randomly, wondering why she had interrupted his work for seemingly nothing.  
  
"I'm. going to be leaving Tokyo soon, Yohji," she said simply and suddenly, breaking the silence. Yohji stared at her while she played with the baby. No, correction, not just any baby. THEIR baby.  
  
He looked at her now, eyes wide. Leave..? "Why?"  
  
She shook her head, and her sleep starved eyes met his. "You wouldn't understand. And I'd rather not go into it." She looked down at the baby again, and gave the gurgling infant an Eskimo kiss.  
  
Lucky kid, he thought to himself. He wanted to be loved by her even if he disturbed her at all hours of the night. But then again, that was supposed to be the love a mother had for her child alone. He wouldn't have known himself, though, for certain reasons.  
  
"Explain to me. If you're going to be taking him with you, then I deserve an explanation." He was trying to be firm with her, but he was really just putty in her hands. He would have done anything to make her happy.  
  
"You really want to know," she asked, her voice becoming more and more a whisper.  
  
"Yes." It was a simple enough answer, but he wondered about it. Did he really want to know?  
  
"Fine." She stood up now from the park bench, and turned to look at him, dead into his eyes. "I can't stay around here where you are, Yohji. As much as I'd like it.. you can't be the person I want you to be. And. it hurts me."  
  
There was so much pain in those blue eyes that had never been soothed. He'd known for some time that she'd been upset, but she'd never said why. Yohji leaned forward now, studying her. "I don't understand," he admitted.  
  
She sighed, and shifted the position that she was holding the baby. "I mean.. that you're too much of a temptation for me. You're irresponsible, you can't commit to a healthy relationship, and.. well, frankly, you're addictive, too. As much as don't I want to, I have to leave here, because you're hurting me."  
  
She wasn't looking at him anymore, her back was to him. But he could feel it, though, in his heart- she was crying. That same over-protective feeling came over him, and before he knew it he was up and hugging her tightly.  
  
He could smell her shampoo, and he buried his face in her neck, cuddling her body close to his. Her scent surrounded him for a while, and in those few short moments there was no one else in the world. I would never try to hurt you..  
  
But she was withdrawing from his grasp all too soon for him, breaking free of his hold with her gentleness. She was facing him again, and now he could see her tears. His attempt to comfort her had failed, and he could see now that it had only caused her more pain.  
  
His heart ached suddenly, and he knew it was true. He knew for sure that she was leaving, and that there was nothing he could do to change it. If Yohji could have put it into words, he might have said he was being torn in two or the world was falling away from under him. But Yohji had never been a poetic person, so he just stood there, feeling stupid and incomplete.  
  
"I'm sorry, Yohji. But. right now, you can't give me what I need. And I need more than just love. So. so, this is good bye for a while." She kissed him with tear-stained lips on the corner of his mouth, and turned to go.  
  
She gave him one last look before she left, and it seemed to cover all of the bases. He could see the wistful look in her eyes, the one that told him she wanted to stay. He could see the raw grief that formed a gruesome wound around her heart, that needed healing it could not get here.  
  
And there was love, too, in those eyes of hers, despite it all. Too much of it, a true and overwhelming tenderness. It was for him, towards him- something that no one had ever felt for him before. It took his breath away, the prospect that she was leaving partly for his sake as well.  
  
And then she was gone, all of her love and her pain, like a cold wind from the north sweeping through and going just as quickly. And in her place there was nothing- no pain, no fear, nothing at all. Just emptiness. There would be time for pain later, and he knew this.  
  
He sat back down on trembling legs, and fumbled for his lighter. He drew out a cigarette, his last one. How fitting. He lit up, and lifted the cancer stick to his mouth. He needed that cigarette..  
  
:: End flash back ::  
  
"Kudou-san, daijobu desu ka," a concerned voice asked, breaking through his reminiscences. Yohji looked up, startled out of his trance, and met Usagi's super blue eyes.  
  
For a moment, no one said anything. Even so, Yohji could see the things she wanted to say in Usagi's eyes. And he could see other things- traces of her sorrow and her love, left behind from six years.  
  
That shocked a part of him- that she still loved him. And it gave him a spark of hope, a feeling that maybe, just maybe, he could still win her over.  
  
At that moment, Ran and Aya walked in. "Ohhh, look!! Look, 'niichan, look at the cute little boy," Aya said, having already caught sight of Ryu. How is it that women always do that, Yohji wondered to himself. Do they have radars somewhere? He watched Aya zoom up the little boy, already admiring him.  
  
Ran however had stopped and was giving Usagi his patented Ran's Icy Glare of Doom. If there was one other person in the world that wasn't afraid of him, it was Usagi. And to a degree, she had an uncanny ability to read and control him.. although no one could control Ran quite as well as Aya.  
  
Usagi smiled, looking at Aya. "You must be Ran's sister. It's a pleasure to meet you," she said, holding out her hand to the girl.  
  
Aya blinked for a moment, and then smiled. "Yes. But I'm afraid I don't know who you are.?" She stuck her own hand out, and shook Usagi's.  
  
"Watashi wa Tsukino Usagi." Aya's eyes widened momentarily. She had heard Omi-kun and Ken-kun saying something about this very same lady some time ago, although she hadn't caught exactly what it was. Well, I guess I'll have to pay them a visit later on.  
  
"What a cute little boy you have here! What's his name?"  
  
"Watashi wa Tsukino Ryu," the boy interjected before his mother could answer, trying to make himself look bigger.  
  
Aya giggled. "You remind me of my oniichan when he was younger." Ran promptly froze up, and assumed a look that reminded Usagi of a deer in a set of headlights.  
  
"Especially in some of the pictures otousan and okaasan had," she said, going on, completely oblivious to the looks her brother was giving her. "He was always making trouble- drawing on the walls, digging into the cookie jar, unlocking the doors and going outside to play in the backyard. And then there was the time he chopped off my hair. And don't you make that face at me, 'nicchan, because you did," the girl exclaimed giggling.  
  
Usagi laughed herself. "Ryu-chan hasn't caused me that much trouble. yet. My, Ran-san, you were such a heathen growing up," she added, giggling when the red head threatened to blush. I knew he'd thaw over. it just took him a while.  
  
"Say, would you like some candy. Ryu, isn't it," Aya asked, producing a chocolate bar out of her purse. Usagi froze up in memory of the last time Ryu had chocolate, and Yohji himself looked ready to cry. That boy didn't need sugar!  
  
"Oh, please don't, Aya-san. You'll spoil his dinner."  
  
Aya blinked, and then smiled. "Oh, please, call me Aya-chan. And as for 'niichan, Ran-chan will do for him," she said, casting him a look that dared him to disagree with her. "I didn't realize that he hadn't had dinner yet, I'm sorry."  
  
Usagi smiled. "It's quite all right"-  
  
Usagi was interrupted by Ryu's protests. "Please, no, Okaasan doesn't cook very well!" Usagi blushed and smiled sheepishly.  
  
"I try my best. but you're right, I don't do a very good job. But I'll tell you who does, though," Usagi added, drawing close to her son with a sparkle in her eyes. "Your grandma makes fantastic food, and I'm sure she'll whip up some really good stuff for us!"  
  
"But okaasan, I want to eat with otousan," the boy said, latching onto his father.  
  
"I thought they looked similar.." Aya muttered to herself thoughtfully.  
  
Usagi thought about that for a minute. It would not be a wise idea to take Yohji to her parents' house. Her mother would welcome him with open arms, of course- she had always wanted to meet him, and she loved to cook, so the more the merrier.  
  
But her father. Even though he was older now, her father still had the over- protective streak. And he wasn't exactly weak and feeble, either. Not to mention he had invested in another rifle.  
  
"Well, I don't think that would be a good idea, Ryu-chan," Usagi admitted thoughtfully. Usagi noticed the look on Yohji's face. He liked Ryu just fine, but it was obvious that he wanted the night to himself so he could drink. That was just the kind of person Yohji was.  
  
Well, Yohji, your liver is lucky that I'm around to save it, she decided. "However, I'm sure that Aya-chan is a pretty good cook. You wouldn't mind cooking for him just for tonight, would you, so he can spend some time with his father," she asked Aya.  
  
"Of course not! I'd be more than happy to cook," she said smiling sunnily.  
  
"Yippee! You hear that, 'tousan? Okaasan's gonna let me stay," the boy cried happily, instantly climbing off his lap. He hugged his mother, and then went in the direction towards Ran. Truth to tell, the little boy found the tall, cold red head fascinating.  
  
Ran, however, didn't seem to share the same fascination. He glared down at the little boy, hoping to discourage him. Unfortunately for Ran, his hardhearted reputation, and any hope of shooing the boy away had been ruined by his sister's baby stories. "I marked on okaasan's walls with crayons, once. she made me help her clean it up. And then she grounded me, and."  
  
Ran's mental groan was almost audible. Why did the boy have to be such a chatter box? Aya giggled in the background, and discreetly loaded her camera full of film.  
  
Yohji stared at the little boy, hoping that Aya would keep her older brother in check. It probably wasn't good for the young boy's health that he was so close to Ran, but if the kid was any bit as half as tough as his mother, then he'd manage.  
  
Usagi smiled at how easily things had been arranged. Out of the corner of her eyes, she could see Ken and Omi coming down the stairs. She flashed them a swift smile, and turned back to Yohji. She leaned close, and stage whispered in his ear.  
  
"I'm leaving you in charge of my son. If you dare drink or smoke around him, I swear to you I will castrate you personally." She smiled ultra- sweetly at Yohji, who was staring at her like she'd just told him she used to be a man, and tapped him on the nose playfully. "Good luck."  
  
Usagi grabbed her purse, and smiled at everyone. "All right, I'll see you all later- there's a few places I want to go, still. I'll be back later for you, Ryu," she said, stooping down to give him a good-bye kiss on his forehead that he quickly wiped away.  
  
Yohji opened his mouth to protest- Usagi shouldn't be allowed to go off again. His objections were cut short by a swift kick in his calf via Aya- chan, who just whistled and smiled innocently at him.  
  
"Bye, everyone! Behave yourself, Ryu, while I'm gone." As she passed Ran on the way to the door she whispered, "Bai bai, Ran-chan," and was pleased to see him blush ever so slightly. Usagi laughed, and then went out the door with a jangle of its bell and walked to her car.  
  
Nobody said a word, but everyone watched as she started up the car and pulled out of her parking spot. Usagi gave them a last wave before speeding away, and then the whispers started.  
  
Yohji glared at Ran, wishing that the red-head would turn into something a little less cute, like a big cockroach- the kind with wings. Not to mention that there went another good chance to try and win her back. Absently, he rubbed the back of his leg. Damn you, Aya.  
  
Ran himself wanted to go and hide in his room, but if he attempted to do so, then Aya would harass him to no end. She hardly ever let him be alone, lest he start to brood again. And now there was a little boy with the attention span of.. well, his age, but the curiosity of a cat.  
  
Ken and Omi just grinned at each other. When Usagi had been going out with Yohji still, they had been around her a few times. The chaos that she left in her midst was always interesting, and already the chain reaction had begun.  
  
Oooh. she's good! Aya thought to herself. Wonder if I could get her to teach me some of her stuff, she wondered to herself. Aloud, she asked Ryu what he wanted for dinner.  
  
Yohji decided it was going to be a long evening. Now if only he could have just one cigarette.  
  
---------------*  
  
Usagi grinned happily to herself as she drove in her car. It was so fun to tease people. She had forgotten just how much she loved this place. It made her feel like she was fourteen again.  
  
So much happiness. but so much pain, she said, shaking her head. What was really sad was that she had never gotten over things.  
  
Usagi had her heart broken by Yohji time and time again back before she left. She had always said she would do something about it, and once she had gone so far as to break the relationship. However, Usagi's resolve was weak- every time she threatened, it all fell through.  
  
It seemed like I lost whether I was with him or wasn't..  
  
Yohji had that unexplainable power over her. She couldn't ever remember giving it to him, but she did remember that after the first few escapades together, she had become dizzily addicted to him. Of course, it wasn't just sexually or physically- their relationship wouldn't have been able to hold up that long.  
  
No, it had been something deeper. His character was fascinating, for one- no matter what anyone said, there was more to Yohji than what anyone saw at a first glance. He went deeper than that- he wasn't just a superficial womanizer, and somewhere inside of him he was just purely different from any other person than Usagi had ever met.  
  
An underlying feeling of sadness, of a wound that still needed healing. Usagi had wanted to help him with that, but there were so many more things to their chemistry..  
  
How about the fact that he feels like another part of you, whispered a part of her. A significant part.  
  
But he hurt you. He hurt you so badly, worse than Mamoru could have ever done. Because he held your heart in his hands, and he shattered it.  
  
Usagi sighed to herself, feeling utterly depressed now. Sometimes it felt like she couldn't win for losing, and right now was one of them. She couldn't play games with life, not the way she used to. Maybe I'm just too fragile now. Maybe my soul's been through too much to deal with the pain anymore.  
  
And that was a possibility. Usagi's soul was already considerably old, having been born and reborn repeatedly over the space of a thousand years. Maybe that's too much heart break, even for a lunarian.  
  
Usagi turned off all of her intellectual thoughts as she searched for a place to eat. There was only so much brooding that she could do at a single point in time without getting truly depressed. She was really hungry, but not picky. something cheep, greasy, and salty would do just fine.  
  
And suddenly, she spotted the Mc. Donalds! It was like the heavens had opened up and everything. Usagi switched lanes and put on her turn signal just in time to pull into the parking lot. And Tsukino scores!  
  
Usagi hummed happily to herself as she turned off the ignition and pulled her keys out, locking the doors behind her.  
  
----------------------------*  
  
A young woman watched from the dark cloud she existed on in the sky. It wasn't really in the sky- at least not one that the humans could see. No, this place existed only in the astral plane, but had close ties with the mortal realm.  
  
It wasn't hard for them to slip in between dimensions- if anything, it was almost too easy. They were right on the border lines of both planes, and often slipped through the gateway.  
  
She watched, because it was all she could do for the moment. She had seen this coming for a long time, of course. That one was back.  
  
The only one who had ever been her friend, no matter how briefly. She might have destroyed her- she should, they were fatal enemies. But for her friendship.  
  
All she could offer in return was perhaps a second chance.  
  
A chance to join them.  
  
To join the team that would surely win.  
  
"You two. it is time," she said, turning around. The two spoken to came forward, not daring to speak a word. This was the woman that had rescued them from the steps of death, from eternal silence. In return for their assistance when the time came, they had been offered eternal life. Perhaps there might even be a chance for happiness in that life.  
  
It was too tempting a deal to passed up, anyway, even if they could never have happiness. Any form of life was better than not having one.  
  
"That one.. do you see her, in this mirror of the mortal world? Do you see her?"  
  
Still they didn't dare to speak a word, the merely nodded their affirmative.  
  
"Her.. that is the one that is your target. She is the vital piece to the puzzle. If you don't do your jobs correctly it will all have been for nothing. She is the key to having this world as our own."  
  
"You want her dead, then.?" Asked the dark haired one.  
  
The woman hissed in reply. "No! Never. If you so much as harm a hair on her head, I'll send you back to Death. They're not exactly pleased with me for taking you away, you know," the woman said, her eyes narrowing.  
  
The men exchanged looks. "Then what would you have us do?"  
  
The woman laughed. "Is it so hard to figure out? You're both young men, and she's not so old herself. Take her as your own, do as you will- only subdue her." Both men seemed a bit surprised, but let it pass.  
  
"As you wish, your majesty," said the speaker of the two. He bowed, and his companion did the same.  
  
She nodded, seeming appeased. "Yes. do your job well, and you will be rewarded in the future. You are dismissed," she announced with an air of finality. She set her sights back onto her viewing device, watching her friend enter the restaurant.  
  
My friend. it is the best I can do in return for all that you gave to me. Her sharp eyes softened momentarily in reverence for the old memories. I will attempt to spare your death.  
  
------------------*  
  
Ah. there was nothing quite like the taste of Mc. Donald's French fries. All of that salty, greasy goodness. and so warm. Usagi smiled happily to herself, almost humming. Food always managed to make Usagi happy.  
  
Usagi sipped thoughtfully on her Dr. Pepper. Oh, yes. This was good stuff. Fattening, and not good for her cholesterol, but screw all that.  
  
You only live life so many times, so why not enjoy yourself, she pondered to herself. She didn't see why not. And so munched happily to herself. Tomorrow, perhaps, she would go to her mother's and father's. She hadn't gone tonight because she wanted Ryu to go with her- she knew her mother would be dying to see her grandson, anyway.  
  
So she had decided that waiting was for the best.  
  
She might have stayed, but it would not have been for the best. If Usagi knew Yohji, then he'd try to get at her the first chance he got. It was better this way, even if she might have looked like an irresponsible and flighty mother to everyone else.  
  
She slurped her drink down in peace, lulled by the cool, sweet flavor. There was nothing that she needed to worry about in the world at the moment, and-  
  
Suddenly, there was a shift of the weight on her seat to either side of her. Usagi's eyes popped open, and she slowly examined the people on either side of her. Both of them were young looking men, one with messy orange hair that tapered down his neck wildly and held out of his face by a bandana that had sunglasses perched on top of it. The other was wearing a pair of glasses, dressed in a suit, and had dark hair and dark eyed.  
  
"A-anno.. I don't think I know you," Usagi said, shifting uncomfortably. She would have moved, but they were both on either side of her, and the table was in front of her. She wasn't desperate enough to crawl under the table just yet, but something told her she might very well be in just a short while.  
  
The one on her left scooted closer to her, and smirked knowingly. "Not yet, liebe, but soon enough." Usagi's eyes widened, and she attempted to scoot away, only to run into the other one with a small 'eep.'  
  
She looked up at him hopefully- if it was anything like the cartoons, this one would be an angel who would help her. She was interrupted from her hopes by nasal laughter. "Not a chance, liebe. You're better off with me than him."  
  
Usagi looked from one to the other, doubting that very much. She faced the older, dark haired one man again, and gave tried for a smile, even though it failed. "Please let me out?"  
  
He stared at her through those glasses with his formidable and unreadable eyes. and told her simply, "No."  
  
Usagi stared and just sat there frozen for a few minutes. Her brain was trying to compute the current situation, and having problems all the way through. Why do these things always happen to me? Why do I get trapped in a booth in McDonalds with two psycho men? It's not faiiiirrr..  
  
"Tsk, tsk, liebe. Labeling people 'psycho' is hurtful," the orange haired man said, reeling her into his lap.  
  
If it was possible, Usagi was certain that there was smoke coming out of her ears from her fried brain.  
  
"Enough, Schuldich," the blue haired man ordered.  
  
"Oh, but Crawford, I was just beginning to have fun with her," the German protested. Usagi just sat there immobile while he stroked her hair and pouted.  
  
"We'll come back for her later. Right now, we need a plan," the older man said, shoving his glasses up higher on his nose. He looked at Usagi, and she looked back at him, purely stupefied.  
  
The German sighed and slid out from underneath her. "All right," he addressed his leader reluctantly. He turned back to Usagi and kissed her briefly. "Mn. Salty.. We'll be back for you, liebe," he said with a smirk.  
  
And then they were gone, straight back into the blue that they had come from.  
  
Usagi sat there for a few moments more moment, absolutely befuddled, before she snapped out of it. "Just who did they think they were," Usagi cried out as she slammed her hands down on the table, fuming. Now not only did she have everyone's attention in the restaurant, but her hands stung wickedly.  
  
Life sucked again.  
  
-----------------------------*  
  
Gwa ha ha! I think that's a fine note for me to leave off on. Hey, don't look at me like that. This was another long chapter, so be happy. And I even had both new suitors show up at the end, even if it was briefly. Hey, I got bored.  
  
But anyhow, Whatever you guys do, please don't ask me to add Ran/Aya to the list of suitors. I'll lose my mind and make it a free-for-all. . And no, that's not a good thing. I just pulled that cuz I couldn't resist..  
  
Lizzychan : I hope this makes you happy, I normally wouldn't do this.. in fact, I was intending to make a separate one-shot, but I guess I'll just do this instead.  
  
SquirrelnoShi : ^^ You're quite welcome!  
  
Sailor Star Scream : O.o;; It's not nice to threaten to hurt people.. besides, the more couples, the more fun it is for me to write. And if you try to hurt me, I'll sic Yohji-sama on you! Fwee hee hee.  
  
Sunshine*Roses : I'm glad you like it.. but I generally don't read Harry Potter/Sailor Moon crossovers. I just don't think they do well crossed over. Please don't take any offense.  
  
Yuki : I'm sorry. I know it's been too long, but I have legitimate excuses. Or so I think, anyway. And I don't take :that: long to update.. . You're just trying to make me feel bad. Gah, such a sweet person..  
  
Tasie : I'm glad you like the plot.. but what does Bubbles have to do with anything? O.o;; I'm afraid you lost me there.  
  
Gakkuri Naishinnou : Fwee.. you're right. I don't think it would be humanly possible for any of Yohji's offspring to be ugly. :falls over: Eh, you're right, he's not the committing type, either. Aw, to hell with common sense! Besides, who said anything about marriage? If I put Farfie into this.. You'd know I'd lost my mind. Personally, I'm scared of him. Lol; you're really evil GN.. but I like you. ^.^  
  
Kasai-chan(Ce-ce : Fwee. . I'm not aiming for an Aya(Ran)/Usagi pairing in this story. I'm going to release a one-shot with that pairing in a short while, though, so be on the look out for it. ^.~ As for the reply.. ^^ I'm glad that you're touched. :hands you a hankie:  
  
Little-bag-of-laughs : ^^ All right, you don't have to beg.  
  
Magic Cat : Gack! What is it with Brad Crawford? He's a cold, heartless, manipulative bastard. :is mauled by Crawford fans: GAH!  
  
MarMoonStar : Glad you think so.  
  
Princess Cosmos : It'll depend on how people vote when I ask them to who she ends up.. but that's one of my personal favorites, too. ^^  
  
Sailor Purgatory : If people stop reviewing just because I have my required ten reviews per chapter after I reach the number, then I'll have to raise the number.. :frowns: And I hate having to demand so many before I continue as it is. Well, now someone has (kinda) even though I can understand why.. Crawly is a bastard, and Farfie's scary. :is mauled again by both Farfie and Crawford fans: GAHH!  
  
Lady Rose : Fwee, another sequel? But I'm not finished with this..  
  
Psy : Aww, thank you! Most people just tell me that they liked the story, not why. :hugs: Fwee, you're the greatest! Makes my mauling wounds worth it.  
  
Sailor Fortune : ^^ There, I kept going!  
  
Dreama Tsuki : It's a long story.. but you'll find out eventually. ^^  
  
Firefly-chan : I'm glad you enjoyed it so much! ^^ I guess I should start being more confidant about the stuff I write.  
  
Crazy : NOO!! You can't kill my Yohji-sama! You'll have to get through me if you want to kill him.. probably a few other people, too. :sniffles: I like the player.. don't be mean.  
  
LadyAllure Allurechan : Yes! I have you're attention too, now! :evil laughter: It's okay, I'm just glad that you reviewed. Fwee, I'm on your faves now? You're awesome! :huggle: 


	3. Chapter 3

Good Enough  
  
By: Tenshi no Nozomi (tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com)  
  
Chapter Three : Plots unraveling  
  
AN : Phwee. Chapter Three! I just submitted the second chapter earlier today, and already I almost have the required number of reviews already. O.o;; lol. It's kind of sad since this is really the one that's doing the best, besides maybe TV Troubles (which I still need to update!! .) and a lot of my other fics took up to two weeks to get that many reviews. Does that mean I just picked a good time to update, or are my skills as a writer improving?  
  
I think I look to deeply into things. But anyhow.. yes, we are up to chapter three! Hurray for inspiration.  
  
DISCLAIMER : The same  
  
WARNINGS : Same; did I mention OOC-ness before?  
  
PAIRINGS : Same  
  
------------------------------------*  
  
Usagi watched the sun set from her favorite place in the whole world. She was in her little sanctuary that she'd had since she was a child that no one else had ever known about. She hadn't even taken Ryu there when he was a baby, because it had been the only thing that she'd had to herself.  
  
It was the same as it had been when she had left- the same little brook trickling through, the same little open area where soft clovers bloomed, and a tire swing hung from an old sakura tree.  
  
Usagi traced her fingers lightly over the bark, taking in the rough sensation. There were a lot of old memories here- good and bad. She closed her eyes, and sat cautiously on the tire swing.  
  
When she had been seven or so, she had stumbled onto this place once when she was exploring. Back then Usagi had always been on the adventurous side, and her curiosity had been insatiable. The tire swing had been broken- the rope was rotten- so she had taken some rope from her father and climbed the tree, restoring it, and all by herself.  
  
She had come here as a refuge heavily in her life, relying on it. When she hurt too much from her relationship with Mamoru, she had come here to cry. Sometimes she had even talked to no one in particular, just to try and get her feelings off her chest.  
  
After all, there wasn't anyone that she could really talk to. The scouts wouldn't have understood, and her family.. well, none of them exactly approved of her relationship to Mamoru, for certain reasons. Luna had been out of the question, Naru had been in the dark, and that left.. no one.  
  
Those had been the loneliest years of her entire life. Even when Ryu had been born and she had been all on her own, she had never felt so unhappy.  
  
Those years had been difficult. It had been hard to raise a child and maintain a decent job at the same time, and she'd done her best to juggle everything. She knew, though, that she hadn't been the best mother that she could have been.  
  
There had been too many compromises, moments that she'd missed. She'd hated herself for it, and even now there were things that she wished she could change, but there had been no choice for Usagi.  
  
All in all, she had been happier in Kyoto. She didn't have to live with the disapproval that she got from the scouts, the heart-break from Yohji, or the disappointment from her family. She'd been able to keep in contact with everyone, but keep the personal and painful things at a distance.  
  
I've been a coward, Usagi admitted to herself. Selfish, too. I placed my own happiness above others- especially Ryu. But.. I'm tired of sacrificing myself. I really am.  
  
Usagi tucked her knees up to her chest and hugged herself tightly. All of her life she had had to sacrifice herself for everyone else, and her own feelings had either been swept aside or mistaken. Usagi had hated it, but hadn't ever fought against it. She had been a pushover.  
  
And now, I'm just feeling sorry for myself, she thought. Usagi climbed out of the old, worn tire. As she began the walk back to her car parked in the lot, she sincerely hoped that there was some child that had discovered it and enjoyed it.  
  
Somehow, I have to make things work. There has to be an in-between..  
  
--------*  
  
Usagi parked in front of the Koneko, knowing full well that she was running a bit late. She hadn't felt like hurrying, though. Not when she was most likely returning to trouble.  
  
Usagi tried the doors, and found that they were locked. Well, it was almost nine o'clock. She knocked on the door repeatedly, and stood outside the shop feeling rather dumb.  
  
Finally, though, Aya came downstairs, a victorious grin on her face. Usagi wondered briefly if she should be worried before the door opened.  
  
"Don't look so suspicious! Now, come inside," the younger girl ordered, ushering her inside with a smile on her face.  
  
Usagi smiled, and obliged. "You look like the cat who got into the cream without anyone knowing. What happened?"  
  
Aya just giggled. "I got a butt-load of pictures," she declared proudly, producing a small disposable camera from out of nowhere.  
  
Usagi laughed. "Be sure to show them to me when you get them developed, all right?" Aya grinned wider, and offered Usagi a drink of water before heading upstairs.  
  
"I'll be right back down with him- everyone else passed out a while ago, so I don't want you to have to deal with any death threats." With that, the younger disappeared upstairs, and Usagi was left to her lonesome amongst the flowers sipping her water.  
  
~Lonely, liebe,~ teased a nasal, disembodied voice. Usagi's eyes widened, and she promptly choked on her water. She sputtered and managed to force it down her throat.  
  
Usagi set the glass down, and then looked all around her. Laughter resounded from an unseen source, though she recognized whose it was. It was that man from earlier at the Mc Donalds, the one that had harassed her.  
  
"Where are you, you bastard," she hissed.  
  
~Bastard? Harassed? That's a bit harsh, liebe. Besides, you didn't resist very much,~ the voice taunted her.  
  
"Come out here, bastard"- she started again.  
  
"Usagi-chan? Are you all right?" Usagi jumped, and stopped searching. Aya stood there with Ryu curled up in her arms fast asleep. The younger girl looked confused, and a bit worried for her new friend.  
  
"Oh.. Anno, I think I am. But Aya-chan, is there someone else here?" The younger girl promptly shook her head.  
  
"Everyone else crashed a long time ago, so it's just you and me. Why, did you hear something?"  
  
"I thought I did.. but I must have been mistaken," Usagi amended, deciding that she'd figure it out later. She accepted her little boy, and hugged his small body close to her.  
  
~How sweet, liebe. I want you to hold me like that..~  
  
Usagi ignored the voice; she didn't have time to go crazy. "Thank you ever so much for looking after him and cooking for him. I really appreciate it," Usagi said, digging into her purse for her wallet.  
  
~Aww.. don't ignore me, liebe. I don't like it,~ he taunted again, unseen and obviously unheard by Aya. Usagi fought down a wave of irritation, working as hard as she had ever to maintain her self-contol.  
  
Leave me the hell alone, you bastard, she growled mentally, while trying to focus on what was going on around her.  
  
"No, please don't pay me! I had a blast, and so did 'niichan, even if he'll never say so," Aya said, turning down the money with her hand gestures as well. "Say, Usagi-chan.. just how long are you going to be in town," the girl asked, a certain slyness creeping into her voice.  
  
Usagi sweatdropped mentally, and said "Not too long. Ryu has a week and a half till he's supposed to start school again, and I have work, so.." Usagi petered off.  
  
~All work and no play makes liebe a dull girl,~ the voice drawled again. She could almost feel the smirk that was on the damnable man's face as he taunted her.  
  
What the hell do you know about anything, she shot back irritably, especially me?  
  
~More than you think,~ the voice purred. ~Now don't be such a prude, liebe, I know that you can be fun. Let me play with you.. you'd enjoy it, too.~  
  
Usagi shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts, and once again attempted to refocus on the situation at hand. If Aya had noticed Usagi's apparent but momentary distraction and the vague look in her eyes, then she must have brushed it off.  
  
Aya nodded thoughtfully. "Well, you should come and visit more. You'd have thought that boy was surgically attached to his father, the way he was hanging on to him."  
  
A wave of guilt hit Usagi. "I.. want to. I want Ryu to have a good relationship with his father, demo.." Usagi just shook her head. There was too much to say, so much that wouldn't make sense.  
  
Aya just watched her, her expression unreadable. "I suppose that you have to do what's best for yourself.. but.." The girl stopped, and only shrugged. "Who'm I to say?"  
  
Usagi smiled. "Well, thanks again, Aya-chan. I'll see you later," Usagi said, before leaving the shop.  
  
Aya sat down at a seat, and watched the blonde outside, oblivious to the world around her.  
  
"How is it, Tsukino Usagi," she murmured to herself, "that you manage to bring people so close to you, make them depend on you? Oniichan won't admit the way he feels, Yohji-kun still wants you after seven years.. There's something different about you," Aya concluded.  
  
She shook her head to herself- it was obvious that Usagi-chan was as stubborn a fool as any of them, and wouldn't let herself be taken off-guard anymore. Still, she was bound to be in for a few surprises, and Aya the Matchmaker was going to see to it that *someone* got her in the end.  
  
And as she was heading up the stairs to the attached flat, a figure hurried past her on his way down. It took Aya a moment to understand, but she finally comprehended it- it was Yohji, in hot pursuit of Usagi. Good luck, Yohji-kun, she called after him mentally.  
  
----------------*  
  
It was that same dream again- the one where angel's feathers swirled in the wind around him, and rain drops fell on his skin.  
  
There was the blinding light that consumed almost everything, but generating a peaceful feeling. Like everything would be all right. But it wouldn't be alright, because with every passing moment, the one thing he treasured was being reduced to nothing, to less nothing.  
  
It was truly breaking his heart, filling him with a sorrow unlike anything he'd felt before. There was nothing peaceful about what was happening- nothing at all. He was going to lose her, once and for all.  
  
He reached his hand out, into the blinding abyss, unsure and uncertain of himself, but driven by the need to be assured and have her body in his arms again. He muled around, reaching for it, grasping, but feeling nothing but feathers and moonbeams.  
  
Will you try to save her, booms a voice into his ears, his mind, into his very soul. Will you be the one to try to save her, it asks him. His ears are blending and he's in pain, but he's still reaching for her, even though he can't find her.  
  
And then the dream disappeared, leaving Yohji awake and panicked, breathing hard and clutching at a pillow. The dream was no different this time than it was any of the other times before- it started the same, and ended exactly before the voice with no body or point of origin could pass its judgment.  
  
But somehow, it felt more real that time than it has ever.  
  
Yohji calmed down slowly, breathing turning from shallow gasps to a forced even pattern. His heart beat calmed, breathing died down, but his irritation remained, and he threw his pillow away, off the side of the bed.  
  
He sought out a cool place on the bed, fidgeting until he reached a cooler area. Finally, he rested, ears open and listening- and he picked up the faint voices from downstairs in the shop. It's odd, and he wondered vaguely for a few moments, until he realized that the voices belonged to Aya-chan and to Usagi.  
  
It took his breath away instantly, and he just lied there, straining to take in the sound of her voice. He missed everything about her over the past seven years, from the sound of her voice and the smell of her hair, to the was her skin felt and the color of her eyes.  
  
When she had first left him, he had briefly believed it to be just that- brief. It had been on the second week when it had finally hit him that she'd really left that he was alone. He'd gone into a short fit of brooding, and then forced himself back into his regular routine so that nothing seemed wrong.  
  
But inside, he'd been a despondent mess. Even while he was drinking and flirting, he was angry and sad, and disappointed in himself. When he was making love to some woman that he didn't know, it was Usagi that he saw, and her name that he gasped or cried on any given night.  
  
He had known for a long time that he was ruined for anyone else- that the only person that he could ever possibly want or cherish was Usagi. Women came and went through his life, and his favorites were blondes or blue eyed women by far. He'd frustrated a countless number of them by being unable to even attempt their names during sex.  
  
It had been a miserable existence, and for the past seven years he had slowly attempted to heal his wounds. His longing hadn't lessened, but the sense of loss had- it had dulled with time, though he'd still understood that he'd wanted and missed his little blonde.  
  
It had all been dashed to tiny pieces when Usagi had shown up at the Koneko. She had been the same, but different- changed and made older by the years, made mature and independent. It had broken his heart, made him want to be the stronghold in her life, made him remember just how much her absence had changed him, had hurt him.  
  
The voices began to fade- Usagi's in particular. And in a moment, he knew that she was going to leave.  
  
Yohji wasn't sure just what ran through his head at that moment. Thoughts of how Usagi had left him before, and could leave at any time, probably. It was enough to make him get up, though, and grab a robe before running down the stairs to the shop, and then outside.  
  
I fucked up once, Usagi, by letting you get away. I'm NOT going to let you get away from me again!  
  
--------------*  
  
Outside, she was exposed to the cool night air again. She shivered slightly, before unlocking the passenger side door, and sitting her son in and strapping him in. His head lolled to the side and his body slumped slightly to the side. Usagi smiled, and ruffled his hair absently before closing the door quietly.  
  
Usagi stepped around the car and prepared to enter, but was interrupted.  
  
"Matte, Usagi!"  
  
Usagi froze up, and debated between turning around and pretending that she was temporarily deaf. That would hurt his feelings, whispered that little voice inside of her that was still conscious of her feelings for him, and the way that he felt for her. He wouldn't show it, but he would be. Don't hurt him again, the voice pleaded.  
  
Usagi slowly turned around and faced Yohji. "Hai, Kudou-san?" She took in the odd picture that he made, standing there in the freezing cold, clad only in his silk boxers and bath robe. And in the middle of Tokyo, too.. Needless to say, it was very un-Yohji like.  
  
He grimaced. "Would you stop calling me that? It makes me feel old," he griped.  
  
Usagi smiled just barely. "Well, you are getting there.."  
  
His frown deepened, and Usagi sighed. She leaned against her car and spoke her mind. "You didn't rush out here in your boxers and robe to talk to me about that, did you, Yohji?"  
  
"No," he answered truthfully. "We need to talk." The fact that he was unabashed about his current condition didn't surprise her- when Yohji made his mind up to do something, he did it without regrets. But what truly surprised her was the action itself.  
  
The old Yohji wouldn't have rushed out in the middle of the night in his lovely black, silk boxers and robe that was hardly tied at the waist to tell her to stop. Perhaps he's changed.? the small voice in her pondered.  
  
~I wouldn't count on it, liebe,~ the nasal voice commented in her head, making its presence known again. Still, there was something decidedly curious about the way the comment was said..  
  
Mind your own business, she instructed him. Usagi opened her eyes and eyed Yohji critically. "Go ahead, then. I'm listening."  
  
"I want to know why you're avoiding me. Why you treat me like I'm the plague," Yohji demanded instantly. It was odd, the old Yohji was subtler than this.  
  
Usagi was quiet for a few minutes, before answering softly. "I thought that was obvious. I'm tired of being hurt."  
  
"Hurt? Just how the hell did I ever hurt you," he snapped back, frustration obvious and growing. It was a stupid question, and Usagi could see that he instantly wanted to take it back, because even he knew all the ways he had hurt her. But he wanted to know what had specifically driven her away.  
  
Usagi looked away from him. She hated having to drudge up old things.. "Let's not bring up the past, okay, Yohji? What we had is dead and gone, and"-  
  
She was interrupted by his forceful but gentle grip on her chin that forced him to look him in the eyes. "It is not gone and dead," he insisted softly, eyes never releasing hers. "If it was, you wouldn't keep running away me."  
  
Usagi was quiet, staring at him. He was right, it wasn't gone and dead. It had always been with her, that lonely ache in the pit of her stomach. It was funny that the one thing that she had ever really tried with all of her might to escape had never left.  
  
Usagi was suddenly aware of how close his face was to hers. A blush stained her cheeks, and she attempted to break his grip, but it was too late. He brushed his cheek against hers soothingly, and whispered in her ear. "Do you have any idea just how much I missed you?"  
  
His voice was so soft and sweet. she could have sworn it was on the verge of breaking. He's just trying to seduce you, a voice in her protested, even as she melted in his grasp and to his will.  
  
Usagi's throat felt dry and totally parched despite the glass of water she'd had only moments ago. Her skin pricked and prickled, ultra sensitive. The hairs on her arms and the back of her neck pricked, and goose flesh spread. She shivered; it seemed colder now than it had been.  
  
His face withdrew, smooth flesh sliding against smooth flesh. The look in his eyes caught her off guard- she had expected something lustful, but instead.. there was indeed a hungry look to them, but it was accompanied by a tenderness that she'd never seen before.  
  
"I'm not giving up," he announced to her, eyes soft but determined, looking at only her. "I love you, and I'm not going to lose you again."  
  
The announcement stuck in her head, freezing her up inside and out. Usagi had been able to count on her fingers the number of times Yohji had told her that he loved her on one hand up until then. Because as much as he was a lover, he wasn't one for commitment.  
  
"I've.. gotta go," she managed to croak out, turning around and fumbling with the keys and unlocking her door. Her cheeks felt hot still, and there were tiny jolts of electricity running up and down her body.  
  
He turned her around again, and dropped a stunningly sweet yet chaste kiss on her lips. " See you around, then," he murmured, turning around and dragging himself back inside.  
  
Usagi stood there, still feeling dizzy and trying to collect her wits. She sat down in her seat, and leaned her forehead against the steering wheel.  
  
~Liebe, do you intend to sit there all night,~ the voice said, coming back. It sounded annoyed, though Usagi didn't really comprehend why.  
  
"No," she whispered softly, turning on the ignition. She was still in a daze, and she wasn't quite sure that she could make it to the hotel.  
  
There was an exasperated sigh, and Usagi's consciousness of herself and her activities wandered. When she realized what she was doing again, she was tucking Ryu into bed. Usagi froze up, and tried vainly to remember just what she had done.  
  
~You owe me, liebe- big time,~ the voice added, sounding not nearly as frustrated this time. No, instead he was now purring rather provocatively, alluringly.  
  
Usagi promptly and out of habit told him where he could shove it, even though she was blushing- and he laughed back at her. After that, there was silence, and Usagi could feel that that presence had left her for now. Usagi sighed and got into her night clothes, before promptly falling into a deep sleep.  
  
----------*  
  
The woman watched, emotionless from the astral plane. "I presume that the two of you have a plan?"  
  
"A bit of one," Crawford admitted.  
  
The woman nodded, almost to herself. "Make sure that you take good care of her," she said, dismissing them. She called upon another servant.  
  
"And tell me- how are the other plans coming?"  
  
"Reservations are being made as you have ordered, your majesty. All the people on your invitee list have had their invitations sent to them."  
  
"How many have confirmed their attendance?"  
  
"Almost all of them, your majesty."  
  
The woman nodded to herself, thoughtful as always. Plans were going according to how they had been made. "Good. Those who do not wish to attend.. eliminate them, immediately."  
  
"I will see that it is done, your majesty."  
  
"It had best be done- without fail, I might add." The woman turned her sharp, cat green eyes on him. "You do know what happens to those who fail me."  
  
"Yes, your majesty."  
  
"Go, then," the woman said, returning to her plotting.  
  
-----------------*  
  
"So, what's our glorious plan, oh fearless-leader," drawled the nasal German as they lounged in their quarters. Well, Schuldich was lounging, Brad was sitting and attempting to think.  
  
He only glared at his companion and returned to his thinking. Right now he wasn't receiving any brilliant flashes of the future, so he had no idea how certain attempts might turn out. They didn't know a whole lot about the woman, which really needed to be corrected.  
  
"Schuldich, I need you to find out more about Ms. Tsukino- kindly infiltrate her thoughts and memories, if you would."  
  
Schuldich grumbled to himself, but complied. The German descended into a trance-like state as he sifted through the blonde woman's mind, and whatever else he might be doing. Crawford drank in the silence, relishing in it since it didn't happen all too often.  
  
A few minutes later- or maybe it was hours, time always ran funny in this place, and Crawford didn't have his beloved wrist watch anymore- Schuldich stretched and rejoined the living.  
  
"Well, liebe has some interesting love interests.. It looks as though Balinese will be our main competitor.. although Abyssinian may try for her as well." Crawford only raised an eyebrow and allowed the orange haired man to continue. "She has a seven year old son named Ryu, whose father.. well, Balinese is responsible for that.  
  
"She's lived in Kyoto for the past six or so years, and she's a secretary at a law firm. She's been working there for a little over four years, and before that she worked elsewhere getting minimal wage. They now live in decent apartment in Kyoto near a big park.  
  
"Her real fears at the moment are that she's going to lose her son, and/or that she's going to get into another emotionally damaging relationship with Balinese. They're currently staying at a Drury Inn ((Does Japan have Drury Inns? Probably not, but oh well.)) close to the Koneko, and tomorrow she has plans to drop by a friend's house and to visit her parents."  
  
"Do you know where these places are?"  
  
"Of course! I'm not THAT incompetent.. You wound me, Crawly. "  
  
"If it's not fatal, then don't bother me about it," He retorted, trying to think.  
  
Schuldich's eyes widened. "You have a sense of humor! And all this time I thought you were a vicious, cruel bastard!"  
  
"I am," Crawford retorted. Now if only Schuldich would just shut UP.. Schuldich sighed, having taken the hint momentarily. The German strolled over to the built-in bar, and began to make some concoction that would probably do a great deal of harm to his body.  
  
Crawford just ignored him and thought things over. Winning her over would be easy enough- there was no doubt in Crawford's mind that she was emotionally unstable, and he intended to use that to his advantage. He'd use the Weiss kittens to get her emotions running high, and then they'd swoop in, and that would be that.  
  
The only problem that he'd have with his plan would be Schuldich. Already the German was moving in before he was given orders, and minimizing the chances of overwhelming her as a duo. Simply put, if the German kept it up, he was going to have to have twice as good of a handle on her if he didn't want to comply to orders and overtake her together.  
  
"You're going to have to stop playing with her until I give you the command, Schuldich," he stated simply and firmly, breaking the silence.  
  
The German turned around and faced him, jade eyes wide and mocking. "Aw, but liebe's so much fun to play with.. Absolutely delicious, like peaches." The german's eyes glittered, and he took another drink of the amber liquid in his cup.  
  
"I mean it, Schuldich. It's important." His tone left for no argument, and his eyes willed Schuldich to stop being such a stubborn bastard and submit.  
  
The German sighed in exasperation, and downed the rest of the alcohol in one gulp. "Fine, fine," he growled, wiping off his mouth. "Why do you care so much, anyway? It can't be THAT important."  
  
"If we don't do this correctly, we risk failure, which will result in being sent back to death." After letting the idea of the unpleasant scenario sink into german's skull for a moment, he continued in an even more somber tone. "And you're not the only one who wants to have fun with her."  
  
The German, who had been serving himself another drink, stopped what he was doing, and nearly dropped his cup. He stared at it, and inspected the liquid closely. "I know that wasn't enough to make me drunk. So did you just say..?"  
  
Crawford only smirked back.  
  
Schuldich's eyes got really wide, and then he laughed- throwing his head and wild hair back, and just belting it out. "And here I'd thought that your libido had been cut out with that little black heart of yours! That's two surprises today, Crawly- what's next, were you really a woman before Schwartz?"  
  
"Schuldich," Crawford said in a dark, warning voice.  
  
"All right, all right," Schuldich said breezily, finishing up preparing his drink. He sipped at it leisurely, eyes twinkling with mirth before he continued. "I suppose I'll be willing to share her with you.  
  
"Schuldich," Crawford barked out.  
  
-------------*  
  
Chiba Mamoru drove into Juuban in his sports car that night, tired and grumpy. He was entirely oblivious to what had called him there, but he wouldn't be so for long.  
  
Hino Rei attempted to use the Great Fire to call the scouts together, but found that there was an interference. A wall blocked Tokyo off from outside psychic or magical contact. She went to bed unnerved and uneasy, knowing that she needed to talk to Usagi immediately.  
  
Across the world, and in four different places, all four inner scouts awoke to the feeling that they needed to get back to Juuban immediately, although the reasoning why had yet to become apparent.  
  
A dark cloud descended over Tokyo in the astral plane, thick and stormy. It was obvious that it would mean more trouble than had ever been imagined.  
  
And the dead realized that shortly their numbers would probably be doubled as the green eyed woman's plans continued to be woven into reality.  
  
*--------------------------------------------------------*  
  
Gah. I feel like crap. And I say that cuz I mean it. Urgh, I can't believe that I felt inspired at a time like this. .  
  
Anyhow, as you might have guessed, I'm in pain. Partially because of the after-effects of my surgery, and other reasons. I want to get this out to you guys today, but I don't know how possible that will be. I feel SO ill.  
  
Progress on this has been regretfully slow between Final Fantasy Nine, school, lack of inspiration, and plain old laziness. Below are the correspondences to all of you kind people who reviewed Chapter Two.  
  
Chibi Chibi : Nopers, not Galaxia!  
  
Firefly-chan : Go ahead, tell me who you think it is. If you get it right, I'll email you and tell you so- but that'll mean I'll have to be able to contact you, cuz I don't want to spoil it for anyone else. Heck, I don't want to spoil it for you, either, but I want to be honest.  
  
Mon : Aww, you're not willing to share Schu-schu? :pouts: Not fair.  
  
Aelis : Heh, heh. somehow, I doubt that castration would sound all that funny to Yohji. As for that comment about it making him sound old.. I kinda used that as an idea; I hope you don't mind.  
  
Lizzie : Kwakwakwakwaaa.. well, here's more, even if it is rather late.  
  
Naru*Mei-chan : :blinkies: Wha.? You have me confoosled. You wanted the plot to be non romantic? Or.. did you not? :brain explodes: Oh, crap, not again.. please, state things a bit more clearly for me from now on- I'm stupid. As for it being that bad, it just kinda shows my lack of.. uhm. I forgot the word. But my lack of something! :sweat drops:  
  
Moon Ryoko : :grins: I'm glad you enjoyed it! And, yes, he is very sexy..  
  
Sailor Ronin Usa-chan : :gapes: Believe me, it's alright, hell, I'm honored that you like it! I'm so silly. .; But really, though, I feel honored that you read and reviewed my story and liked it. As for the trading thing, are you serious? Cuz that would be cool.  
  
SilverHawk9 : Thanks, I feel like I can use all of the luck I can get. ^^ I hope you enjoyed this!  
  
Squirrel : :grins: That's great to hear!  
  
Blue Angel : Oh my goodness, look how long your review is! :claps hands together with joy: I feel loved! ^^ :glomps you back: Crawford being a suitor wasn't my original intention.. but people begged me, so I gave in. Weiss's reaction should be interesting- they will meet up eventually, believe me. I hadn't realized that I'd had all of those firsts. goodness. Well, go me then! ^^  
  
Kwa, and you actually critiqued it instead of giving me praise (which, although I love, can be tiring sometimes when people are vague)!! :squeezes you to death: You're the best! And I'm glad you enjoyed my humor..  
  
Lady Allure Allurechan : Phwee? You're addicted? Yippee! :throws confetti: And you are awesome, believe me.  
  
Dreama Tsuki : lol, no kidding.  
  
Yuki : Is okay. ^^ And I added him to the list, even though I shouldn't have, and I have a separate one-shot specifically with him.  
  
Shi : Gotcha.  
  
Gakkuri Nahinnou : I always look forward to your reviews.. Yes, he is a suitor, as you can probably see. I'm glad that you're happy. ^^ To hell with ages! :cheers: Galaxia? Nope. And as for the same plot.. great minds think alike, I guess, but I hope that's really not the situation. Lol. like fungi, huh? :is beaten to a bloody pulp by Farfie fans: Ooohhhh..  
  
Sailor Star Scream : lol, I like Schu/Usagi pairings, too. We'll just have to see how it all goes.  
  
Tasie : lol; it's okay. Mass reviewing, huh? That does get confusing. I'm glad you liked that particular scene.. ^^ :grins: Hot greasy fries.. If I weren't feeling so ill, I'd agree. Right now, though, I'd have to say that would probably make me sooo sick.  
  
Kazeya : ^^ :grins: I'm glad that you like them so much! It's good to hear. And I'm afraid to tell you that you lost your stuffed bunny- it's not Hotaru by a long shot. But don't worry, I won't take your stuffed bunny away from you. ^.~  
  
Yuugure : lol, indecision sucks. But she'll end up with one of them, most likely.  
  
Blue bean : Yuppers, a kid. I wrote more, are you happy?  
  
Dee-chan : lol, sorry I made you hungrier. Wasn't the intention, honest! Lol. your dad's as bad as Usagi's? O.o;; lol. scary people eat at MDs? Lol again! And as for Ran as a brat as a child. it takes some stretching of the imagination, but once you get beyond the sheer impossibility of it, it seems logical enough. Bad practice makes for a good performance, right? So a bad kid makes for a good person later on. Well, sorta.  
  
Saturnpyro princess : lol, demanding.. but jealousy and suffering are easy enough to arrange, and I'd be glad to do it. ^^ :grins: It was going to happen anyway, though.  
  
Celestial DreamBlaze : Glade you think so. ^^  
  
Urgh. Finished! Thank god.. and by the way, am I the only one who is offended by the way the put crossovers into the Misc section? Maybe it's just me.. but it seems insulting. And now. I'm through. I'll get the next chappie up asap, but I'm still trying to get the next chappie of TVT up. Damn me.. :dies: 


	4. Chapter 4 NEW!

**Good Enough**  
  
**By:** Tenshi no Nozomi (tenshi_no_nozomi@hotmail.com)  
  
**Chapter Four:** Inescapable Destiny?  
  
**AN:**

By some miracle, I'm managing to release this when I said I would. Truth to tell, I could have- SHOULD have- released it sooner. For those of you who have patiently waited for this, I apologize… Especially since this chapter is rather uneventful. I also do not have the time to make a shout out to all of you wonderful people who reviewed for last chapter… I'm very sorry! Please forgive me…  
  
I hope the beginning doesn't confuse anyone… in case you're wondering, it's a dream sequence. ^^;;;  
  
**DISCLAIMER:** the same  
  
**WARNINGS:** Same; some disturbing imagery in the beginning; mentions of porn and yaoi… (Hey, this is Schuldig we're talking about here! Don't hurt me!!); character OOCness on Schuldig's behalf.   
**  
PAIRINGS:** same  
  
---------------------------------------------------*  
  
Flashes of light, confusion, pain…  
  
A brief glimpse of… flower petals blowing in the wind? Sakura petals, perhaps? Yet… no, they were too dark. Roses, then?   
  
Not roses. Blood.   
  
Blood splattering the area, the concrete, gracefully arching through the air to its destination. Staining that crystalline and pure light a crimson colored blur. They landed and formed deep ruby-red puddles that glistened a fiery tone as the light shone through it.  
  
A flash of what looked to be the shape of a woman, blazing like an inferno of light. Out of her that white light poured, wind funneled like a cyclone and spindled off. Her eyes were wide open, hands spread in front of her in a plaintive gesture.   
  
_This is My spirit._   
  
The voice had come from no where, had not actually been embodied by noise. Instead, it was like a thought- noiseless words that form in the mind, have no real substance, and often fade back to where they came from.   
  
A new picture, of a creature formed from a dark red shadow. Blasphemous acid yellow eyes were narrowed in malicious anticipation. Usagi struggled to look away from it, tried to avert her eyes from it- something about it terrified her in a way no youma had been able to.   
  
_I have spent more than a millennia chasing Her down… In different forms, different lifetimes, I am the Light that chases Her Dark.   
  
_This time, Usagi could sea the Earth. Not the current Earth, but maybe one that had suffered tragedies un-thought of yet. The ground was cold, hard, and barren…. Utterly devoid of life. There was a feeling of hollowness, an encompassing and bleak emptiness.   
  
Magma rose from cracks and crevices in the earth, running like blood. There was a smell of blood and ashes and sulfur in the air, and the sky was darkened with unending and impenetrable storms. _She has come again, like she always has, always will. I must rise to meet her. I will need your help… If we fail, your world will fall into a never ending Darkness, and will be unredeemable.   
  
_The lights went out, and velvet darkness drew around her like a curtain. There were no stars in this space, no sound. It was cold, just as equally empty as that Earth had been.   
  
What… will I have to do?   
  
_You will know in time. For the moment, though… things must run their course.   
  
_The dream was breaking up, fragmenting and fading. That presence was fading, the voice becoming a lingering echo, a last sliver of the force it had been. And slowly, Usagi awoke to the world.   
  
*----------*  
  
"Okaasan, for goodness sake, you're so lazy! It's a wonder that your parents never shipped you off to Hong Kong or something."   
  
Usagi opened her bleary eyes, and saw her son sitting beside her, looking rather cross. He wasn't dressed in his pajamas anymore, but rather he had taken a bath and dressed already. For the first time, this really struck her as odd- he was only seven, and yet he could dress himself and bath himself without being asked to.   
  
When she was seven, what had she been doing at this time in the morning? She was in her pjs, watching cartoons till her parents came in and told her to sit further from the screen and turn down the volume (neither of which she ever actually did).   
  
In fact, a lot of things surfaced to her mind right then. Like the fact that he had begun to be able to cook small meals for himself on the stove. That he had taught himself math, and talked to the teachers freely if there was anything that he didn't understand. He aced tests, was responsible for his work, and was active in both the 'student council' and after-school activities.   
  
It occurred to her, then, how little he needed her, but for food and shelter. He was seven, going on thirty.   
  
"Okaasan, are you feeling all right? Should I call 'tousan, or something," the small boy asked, as his mother stared at him unnervingly. She looked a bit on the pale side, and her eyes were looking at him like she was just really seeing him for the first time.   
  
That did the trick, and she was pulling herself out of bed almost immediately. "No, don't do that," she said between yawns. "Most likely he's still asleep, like I'd like to be." She stretched her arms to the ceiling, arching her back and making a satisfying popping. She then headed towards the bathroom with one last yawn as she rubbed the last of the sleep away from her eyes.   
  
"Okaasan," Ryu said suddenly, stopping her in her tracks.   
  
"Hmm," Usagi asked, turning around to face her boy, brushing away blonde hair that hung crazily after a night's restless sleep, like a golden halo that swung haphazardly behind and around her, a nest of messy locks and tangles.   
  
For a moment longer, there was silence, before Ryu said anything more. "You… and otousan… You loved each other, right," he asked finally, letting the difficult words rise and fly from his mouth. His eyes locked on hers, determination shining clearly from their emerald depths.   
  
Usagi's eyes widened, and she blushed despite herself. "Yes, Ryu, I loved him," she admitted. she added mentally. she hurriedly told herself, trying to rid herself of that uneasy feeling.   
  
His green orbs flickered downwards, his socked toes curling up as tightly as his fist. These were questions that had burned him from a time long before he truly understood their situation; now all he had to do was find the courage to say what he desired to know.   
  
"Then why didn't you get married, stay together?" The question was blurted, came out quick and unsteadily, wobbling and uncertain as a toddler's first steps. His green eyes met hers, and she could see the curiosity and pain in those eyes.   
  
Usagi let out the breath that she'd been unconsciously holding in out her mouth hard, blowing her bangs out of her face momentarily. "If you're thinking it was you… then you'd best think again. Things just… didn't work out," she said lamely, waving her hands in the air as if searching for his understanding in her equally pathetic gestures.   
  
From the look on his face, she could tell that he still didn't understand, nor did he believe her. She sighed, and leaned against the sink counter. She studied him hard for a few minutes, wondering just how she should go about explaining something that she herself didn't understand to her son before she finally spoke.   
  
"I really don't have much of an answer for you, Ryu. Except that life isn't fair, and sometimes, no matter how much you love something or someone… Sometimes things simply don't work out. But if there was ever a reason for the two of us to stay together, then it was you… and I'm sorry that I've taken things away from you that I'll never be able to give back."   
  
This was the truth, and it struck a chord in not just Ryu, but in herself as well. She'd never phrased things that well, and inside she feels like maybe she'd earned a victory for herself. She only hoped that Ryu could understand what she meant.   
  
There's a brief flash of understanding in his eyes, before he walled him off to her again. He turned around, faced the tv, and turned it on. "Saa…. I see," he replies in a way that gives away nothing and has no meaning, it is so vague. Usagi could tell from the way he stared so attentatively at the screen that their discussion was obviously over. >  
  
*-------------*  
  
Usagi sighed to herself, and then went into the bathroom, and shut and locked the door behind her. Since when had it become so difficult to talk to her own son? Usagi hugged herself, and shivered in the chilly air. Things were happening too fast, running right by her. Something inside her warned her that if she didn't act quickly, she might be left behind.   
  
Sometimes there simply isn't a return to the things that have passed, she though to herself as she undressed. She can't ever go back to her childhood, and she can't pretend that things are the same. Because they aren't- they're so different that all she'd like to do is to sit down and have a good cry.   
  
[_My, my, aren't we philosophical today,] a voice resounded smugly in Usagi's head, snapping her out of her daze as she adjusted the water temperature._  
  
Usagi's eyes narrowed unconsciously, and her blood pressure rose to match the heat of the steaming water. Even as her hand began to turn red and hurt, she ignored it, preferring to center in on the fact that she was being harassed by a voice in her head rather than the fact that she was scalding her right hand.   
  
_You again, _she practically growled at him. She was bristling inside, feeling almost violated. She had never had her privacy interrupted in a way quite like this one, that was for sure.   
  
His laughter resounded in her head, and she tried to shake it away. She entered the shower, and sighed with relief as the droplets instantly began to take her insecurities away with her grime.   
  
[_Do you think you're just going to be allowed to forget me, liebe,_] his voice purred. Usagi sighed in exasperation, and rolled her eyes heaven ward. Gods help her; if this was a sign of things to come, then she should just go back to bed and wait it out.   
  
"Apparently not," she muttered to herself, before aggressively attacking her scalp with shampoo.   
  
[_The games have only just begun liebe,_] he murmured to his helpless audience that tried desperately hard to ignore him.   
  
*---------------*  
  
"Your minions have been deployed at your orders mistress, and all but two of those who refused are dead."   
  
"Good," she murmured, but did not take her eyes off of the vision before her of Tokyo. Above the busy city, filled with ever-moving people and cars, and the noisy streets filled with people and small animals, even above the smog and light pollution that covered the area in a great, over-turned bowl type thickness…  
  
A dark, unseen cloud was beginning to spread, fringed with a red that shifted from darker to brighter tones and looked similar to the color of blood.   
  
She always gazed at the moving images, like a creature obsessed. Unable to turn her gaze away from the things she desired most in the world, would stop at nothing to have. She would achieve what her mother had been unable to.   
  
"Excellent," she repeated, finally drawing her eyes away from them, and focusing on the servant who was looking up at her fearfully and yet expectantly. "Tell me," she asked the beetle look-alike below her, "what do you see," she asked, motioning toward the image behind her.   
  
"Ah… I see…I see the city, your majesty," he replied tentatively, beady black-brown eyes narrowed almost in consternation. None of the youma that served under her were particularly bright, but the reason he had gone for such a half-hearted answer was fear of the young woman in front of him.   
  
"And," she inquired, raising a single delicate eyebrow in his direction, hinting that she was wearing thin on her patience.   
  
"Ah, uhm, and the Gateway."   
  
"Good, Excellent! Yes, it is the gateway. And see the way our bridge to the world is paved? Soon we will no longer be trapped in this realm of almost non-existence, with only enough power to send half-brained underlings to terrorize the people and gather energy for our cause."   
  
She turned around, and smiled a ghastly, wicked smile at the scene that had drawn before her. Her green eyes glinted slightly, turning almost steely as they became dangerously narrow with aggression. "Very soon our time will come, and we will take over the jewel 'Earth' and enslave its peoples."   
  
"Y-your lady ship… what if… what if your plan doesn't… work," the drone finally managed to inquire.   
  
Her eyes flashed a brilliant shade of spring-green and she turned around quickly. It was easy to see that he had set her off, and she was blazing with an unruly temper. "What," she hissed, advancing on him, "did you say?"   
  
He trembled in terror, only realizing his blunder too late. "I… I meant… I-I only mean, you're Majesty," he stammered, "that… eh, what if your… er, ehm… plan fails?"   
  
"How," she demanded, "could my plan fail?" Her rage had solidified and crystallized, and her deadly rage seemed to have subsided momentarily into something else. He wasn't out of danger yet, though, and he seemed to know it.   
  
He cringed in terror, slumping low in an attempt to make himself small. "I only mean that… what- what if She is not distracted by those two? What if… what if she should decide to defeat you no matter who you are?"   
  
Her eyes flashed wide with surprise at his daring, and there was a brief note of deep and old pain in them, accompanied by a moment's panic. "How dare you question me," she roared, almost shrieking at the mere thought of it. "You, a mere underling?!"   
  
She lifted her right hand, and a ball of deep purple energy crackled at her fingertips like electricity. If the youma had sweat glands, he'd surely be sweating bullets by now. There was nothing, though, that he could do, and he knew it.   
  
She flicked her wrist, and the sphere leapt from her fingers, flying toward the demon with incredible speed. It didn't even have time to cry out in fear- much less run- before it was struck. Almost instantly, it's body turned to gray and stone, and then cracked and crumbled as though thousands of years of weathering had struck the stone structure at once.   
  
"Let that be a lesson for you all. I am not afraid to destroy some of my hard work if I have to- if something is defective," she hissed in a hateful manner, "then it must be destroyed before it causes harm."   
  
There was a moment of silence as the hordes of youma absorbed what they had seen before another youma stepped up to take its brethren's place.   
  
"Your majesty," it dared ask.   
  
"Clean up that mess," she ordered softly, returning her attention to what she'd been watching previously. Her words left for no argument, and held the barest signal of a threat towards the newest creature's well being.   
  
*---------------*  
  
"What do you mean, you couldn't get into her dream," Crawford demanded for the umpteenth time.   
  
Schuldich sighed and rubbed his temples. 'Fearless leader' had been trying to drill new information from the German for over an hour now, as though he expected him to be holding out. Which, he might just do if he wanted to piss the American bastard off, but for once… that wasn't the case.   
  
"Exactly what I meant the first time- I couldn't get in. It was like her mind was blocked off. I couldn't even look at her memories," he complained, almost slipping into whining.   
  
The American paced some more, as though wearing a hole in the floor would help the situation. Schuldig felt like smoking a cigarette, but that was one of the few things that this place failed to provide. It was also one of the few things that Schuldig had to whine and bitch to Crawford about to give him a migraine, so his partner was very well aware of this place's lack of nicotine.   
  
It had only been an hour or so ago that Usagi had been sleeping, and yet he could tell from the little place he'd occupied in her mind that it was getting close to dinner time. Time ran too strangely in this place for Schuldig to keep up- if you looked away for a minute and then looked back, it was possible to see that a whole day had passed while you were unaware.   
  
So far, they'd gone off sight seeing and the likes, like an average, boring family. It was enough to make him feel like gagging. Even now, they weren't going to provide him with much entertainment- they were going to visit her family.   
  
Double ugh.   
  
Why can't she do something a bit more interesting, like look at porn or something, he wondered to himself. And that witty little voice in his head replied that it was because she was a girl, and girls didn't generally go looking at porn. They went looking at shounen ai and yaoi, and it was likely that if Usagi did that then Schuldig would wish she'd go back to sight-seeing.   
  
But what a boring, boring day it had been. Even Crawford had gone out for some time to kiss up to the scary-lady, making more promises that they most likely wouldn't be able to keep. Schuldig really hoped that Crawlie had a plan of some sorts, or else when they got to Hell, Crawford's ass would 'be his' like Americans sometimes put it.   
  
Crawford had finally stopped pacing, but that scowl on his face was beginning to look permanent. Schuldig couldn't help but think that if the man didn't stop frowning, his face would freeze that way, or he'd develop wrinkles. Schuldig fought back snickers; most likely, Crawford's face was already frozen that way.   
  
"We're going out," Crawford finally said, taking a seat in a chair adjacent to Schuldig's.   
  
"Ooh, a field trip? Or is this a date, Bradley-boo," Schuldig teased with a mock-female's voice, far too squeaky for it to be owned by any woman.   
  
"God, I hope we never have to go cross dressing anywhere," Crawford said in a prayer-like manner. Schuldig just snickered; they had already had to do that once, and the results had been… interesting. "But it's neither- it's completely business.   
  
"One of her majesty's youma has gone off to attack our problem's friend. We're there to be insurance for the thing, in case it screws up, and if our 'problem' should show up on the scene, it will be our duty to distract her." Crawford shoved his glasses a little bit higher up on his face, looking dead serious.   
  
Schuldig, on the other hand, leaned back nonchalantly in his chair. "So, we get to play with the bunny then?"   
  
Crawford sighed. "Yes, we get to 'play with the bunny,'" he intoned with a hint of exasperation.   
  
"Hah, hah! You said 'bunny,'" the German laughed.   
  
Crawford sighed; this was turning out to be a long day. And what the hell was wrong with Schuldig, anyhow?   
  
*-------------------*  
  
"Oh, my goodness, Usagi," her mother squealed, hugging her grandson tighter, "he's so cute!"   
  
Usagi could only smile politely, feeling almost like a stranger in her own house. She couldn't remember ever feeling a stronger sense of déjà vu in her life. This was the house she'd grown up in, eaten in, dreamed in, played in, slept in, and snuck out of as a young girl.   
  
There was an overwhelming sense of nostalgia in the air, and it was making Usagi feel uneasy.   
  
"We're so glad to have you home again, Usagi," her mother continued to gush, putting their coats in the closet. "How long are you staying?"   
  
"Not too long. I have work, and Ryu has school…" She could see the deep sadness in her mother's eyes, and tried not to feel too guilty. "But I was thinking about taking some time off in the summer, and maybe we'd come down again," she amended quickly, and the youthful look returned to her mother's face instantly.   
  
"Well, then, I suppose that's not too bad! Come in, come in… If I'd known you were coming I would have fixed you some special food. All we have are leftovers," she admitted to her daughter over her shoulder. "I hope that's okay with you?"   
  
Usagi's heart ached slightly at the almost-apologetic look on her mother's face. "Leftovers are fine," she assured her mother.   
  
When they reached the den, Usagi hugged her sides and looked around herself. A feeling of deep nostalgia overwhelmed her. On those stairs, she had once tripped and broken her ankle, which had gotten her time out of P.E. One Chistmas, her father had caught all of their stockings on fire, and had afterwards been banned from using the fireplace.   
  
Too many memories here, a voice inside of her whispered. It was wrong to come back here…. You'll get chained in again. Do you want to be trapped here, that selfish voice whispered in her ear.   
  
But look how happy she is, her mind objected. She hasn't ever seen Ryu in all these years, and she looks young again…  
  
It was only half true. Her mother's eyes sparkled with happiness, but her skin was aged and showed hard toil. The years were beginning to catch up with the older woman, and her hair glinted gray and silver at Usagi as proof of this.   
  
It will not hurt for us to stay here for a little while, she thought, smiling, and banished away the negative thoughts that plagued her. She walked across the den and into the kitchen to greet her father, a genuine smile curved on her lips.   
  
*---------------*  
  
The evening wind stirred the chimes outside, making them tinkle ever so softly like the sound of charms on a silver bracelet jangling together. (1) The birds had stopped chirping hours earlier, leaving the world a quiet, almost eerie place.   
  
As red and gold faded slowly to violet, Rei's eyes finally readjusted from their trance-filled glaze. Alert again, she blinked and looked away from the ever-bright flames of the Great Fire. Her visions had been shrouded and foggy, and she had had trouble interpreting them, but the feeling behind them was still recognizable.   
  
It was a warning of danger slowly creeping up from the shadows to rear its bloody head at her again.   
  
Rei sat back thoughtfully, eyes narrowed. It was a puzzle, and one that itched at her. She felt that she had the key to solving it, if only she could put the pieces together…  
  
Was it possible that there was another enemy appearing to them? One that had gone unnoticed by Setsuna somehow? Troubled amethyst eyes looked toward the setting sun. If there was another enemy coming, then how could they possibly hope to win with only her here?   
  
Sure, Usagi still lived in Japan, but Kyoto was some ways away. The rest of the scouts were off wherever their dreams had taken them- Ami in Germany, Lita in France, and Minako in Great Britain. God only knew where Mamoru was, and the outers-aside from Setsuna- seemed to relocate themselves regularly.   
  
  
  
Rei' thoughts were interrupted by the sounds of frightened birds being scared away from their nests. Rei's eyes shot open wide and then narrowed with aggression. Had it already come for her, this battle? Was it already too late to bring them all back to fight one last time?   
  
Rei stood up and grabbed her bow and arrows. Even if fate was against her, she wouldn't go down without a fight.   
  
*-----------------*  
  
Relaxing after a good meal was what Usagi did best. Her mother's cooking was still the best, she decided. Maybe I should invite her to come and live with Ryu and I, she thought to herself, half-joking.   
  
From the room, she could hear the sounds of her father explaining to Ryu how to play Go. Usagi smiled to herself; the game had always been one of her father's favorite pastimes, but both she and Shingo had been relatively uninterested in it.   
  
Her mother stood in front of the sink, rinsing the dishes before placing them into the dishwasher. When Usagi had offered to help her, she had declined, teasing Usagi that she was not an 'invalid old geezer' yet. Not her mother. As sweet and kind as her mother was, she couldn't ever imagine her going into a state of dilapidation.   
  
"He's such a sweet boy," her mother commented with that familiar smile on her face. Usagi smiled softly. It was true; despite everything, Ryu had grown to be a wonderful little boy.   
  
Usagi thought sadly to herself. Before she could sink into another bout of self-pity, though, a feeling curdled in her stomach. One that refused to be shaken and mounted in intensity inside of her.   
  
she thought, looking out the kitchen window with a frown on her face.   
  
Usagi, who didn't really get bad vibes like Rei did, generally trusted her instincts. She wasn't psychic, but she listened quite attentively when her heart began to beg her to get out of somewhere. It had been a lifesaver on more occasions than one, and tended to be a bit on the eerie side.   
  
Usagi closed her eyes, and reached deep into her subspace pocket for the Ginzuisho. After all these years, it had remained unused, gathering dust with her. Was it even possible for her to use it anymore, if she had to? Because she felt that if she couldn't… If she had lost that knowledge or skill, then something bad was going to happen.   
  
Usagi stood up, not feeling quite resolute but impossibly drawn, like a bug that can't look away from the light of a bug zapper but knows that it will die if it goes closer.   
  
"Something wrong, dear," her mother asked, looking concerned and having paused in her loading the dishwasher.   
  
Usagi smiled at her reassuringly. "Not exactly, but I just remembered that there's one last think I need to do today. You wouldn't mind letting Ryu stay here for a while, would you," she asked, feeling hopeful.   
  
"Of course we wouldn't mind! We would be delighted. I'll bake him cookies and he can have a soda, and I'm sure that he's having a wonderful time with your father," her mother replied, obviously overjoyed.   
  
Usagi smiled brightly. "Great," she said, grabbing her purse and jacket from the closet. She walked back into the den very quickly to say goodbye to Ryu. "I'll be back soon, okay, honey? You be good for your grandparents while I'm gone, okay?"   
  
Ryu gave a distracted nod yes before returning to his game. Usagi couldn't help but grin. She gently ruffled his hair and gave him a kiss on the cheek- which he hastily wiped away, to her amusement- before leaving.   
  
Outside, the world seemed still and grave-yard quiet. A chill ran up her spine, and a sense of urgency squeezed her chest tight. If she didn't hurry, she'd be too late. Usagi quickly started the car up, backed out of the driveway, and drove down the street, pressing the speed limit and what she dared to drive at in an area filled with houses and young children. 

Allowing the sense of foreboding to lead her, Usagi found herself going in a familiar direction. She felt a pang of distress and nostalgia when she turned the final street and was faced with the image of the Hikawa Shrine, which had barely changed- if at all- in her absence.

_Rei-chan…_

  
**

Bwah! So I leave it there. As said above in the AN… no time to reply to you guys if you want it out today. Once again, I'm very sorry!! Hopefully I'll have the next chapter out soon, but before that… I really, really need to finish AoC. ^^;;; 


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